His Bach and Beethoven cycles are legendary, and he frequently features Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, and Schubert in his recital programmes. In addition, Sir András Schiff often combines piano works by Bach, Bartók, and Janáček to form fascinating sequences. In his view, his task as a pianist consists in kindling audiences’ curiosity and finding new connections among the pieces. “I am only interested in the best and greatest music. And there is so much of it for piano – a treasure that is like a gift”, he remarked once in an interview for the magazine of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in Hungary, András Schiff became a British citizen in 2001 and has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. This season marks his 24th appearance at the Ruhr Piano Festival. In his Bochum recital, apart from works by Schubert, András Schiff will also play two pieces inspired by historical events. Leoš Janáček composed his “Sonata 1.X.1905” as a homage to a murdered member of the working class; German composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann dealt with the horrors of the Nazi regime in his piano oeuvre. On the same occasion, Schiff will also perform the world premiere of “Novembernacht” by Italian composer Luca Lombardi, a work commissioned by the Ruhr Piano Festival.